Branded
Branded was a television show about a former Calvary soldier who was wrongfully accused of being a coward and thereby drummed out of the service and discharged. Now he travels all around the Old West proving to people that he is not that kind of man. Description In the pilot episode entitled "The Vindicator" Jason McCord is confronted by a newspaper reporter (Claude Akins) who wanted a follow up story on the "Bitter Creek" massacre. General James Reed, McCord's mentor, was on a peace mission and was to meet with representatives of the Apache nation at Bitter Creek when his unit of 31 men were outnumbered and attacked by a group of renegade Indians known as "Dog Soldiers." As the attack was underway McCord realized that the old general had taken leave of his senses and relieved him of command, but it was too late. McCord himself was wounded in the battle and left for dead. He remained in a coma for ten days after the attack. McCord was later brought up on charges and cashiered out of the Army after being found guilty of deserting his men in battle. The newspaper reporter meanwhile tracked down a widow of the "Bitter Creek" massacre whose husband was third in command. She possessed a series of letters her husband had written questioning the mental instability of General Reed. Those letters would have been enough to grant McCord a new trial and possibly exonerate him. But it was McCord who convinced the widow (played by June Lockhart) to burn the letters in order to save the reputation of General Reed. McCord feared that if Reed's reputation was damaged certain people in Washington DC would try to start a new war with the Apaches. Therefore McCord never spoke out about what really happened at Bitter Creek. In the series, McCord traveled throughout the Old West, continually confronted by people who refused to believe his notorious reputation for cowardice was undeserved, requiring him to prove them wrong. Trivia Theme Song Lyrics "All but one man died...There at Bitter Creek...and they say he ran away. Branded! Marked with a coward's shame. What do you do when you're branded, will you fight for your name? He was innocent . . . not a charge was true . . . but the world would never know. Branded! Scorned as the one who ran. What do you do when you're branded, and you know you're a man? Wherever you go for the rest of your life you must prove ... you're a man." Merchandise Board Game Milton Bradley released a board game in 1966. BrandedGame.JPG DVD releases Timeless Media Group released both seasons of Branded on DVD in Region 1 in 2004-2005. Season 1 was released on August 3, 2004, while season 2 was released on February 8, 2005. On February 16, 2010, Timeless Media Group released Branded: The Complete Series, a 6-disc box set featuring all 48 episodes of the series as well as several bonus features. BrandedDVD.JPG BrandedDVD1.JPG Photos BrandedAd1966.png Branded1.JPG Branded.jpg Branded3.jpg branded22.jpg Chuck Connors as Jason McCord.JPG Chuck Connors as Jason McCord1.JPG Chuck_Connors_Anne_Morrell_Branded_1965.JPG Chuck_Connors_Branded_1965.JPG Branded2.JPG Scripts Coward, Step Aside (February 12, 1965).jpg One Way Out (March 19, 1965).jpg I Killed Jason McCord (July 12-14, 1965).jpg Now Join the Human Race (July 21-23, 1965).jpg Seward's Folly (July 27-29, 1965).jpg The Bar Sinister (August 16-18, 1965).jpg Salute the Soldier Briefly (August 23-25, 1965).jpg The Richest Man in Boot Hill (August 26-7; 30, 1965).jpg Branded (September 01-03, 1965).jpg The Greatest Coward on Earth (September 17; 20-21, 1965).jpg Romany Roundup - Part 1 (September 29-October 01; 04-06, 1965).jpg Romany Roundup - Part 2 (September 29-October 01; 04-06, 1965).jpg Yellow for Courage (November 19, 1965).jpg McCord's Way (December 01-03, 1965).jpg Call to Glory - Part 1 (January 04-06, 1966).jpg Kellie (February 09-11, 1966).jpg Episodes Main Article: Branded/Episode Guide Video See Also Broken Sabre Blade Rider, Revenge of the Indian Nations Category:Non-Game Show